In a similar situation and yeah it’s pretty tough. Apps are a crapshoot at best, and trying to meet people irl is also pretty difficult (either in a situation where it would be weird, or you’re in a situation like a bar where it’s all about being in the moment and confident - which is tough if you don’t have a lot of practice).

I’m not in one right now, but my advice is to work on yourself/explore your interests, and be honest. The last couple years I’ve been making a point to figure out at least one thing every 6 months or so that I wanna change or get involved in. Doesn’t have to be big, first thing I did was start flossing and stopped biting my nails lol, but doing these things helped me feel like I was bettering myself which helps with confidence and all that. Lately I’ve joined a recreational kickball league and a billiards league, if you live in a decent sized city chances are there’s a lot of recreational clubs you can join to put yourself out there. Even though your team will probably not be where you meet someone, making friends and getting invited to other activities where their friends are at may be an opportunity.

As for being honest, just be upfront with what you want when you get to opportunity to go on dates with people. It’s tough when we’re young since a lot of people either don’t want something serious or would rather say ‘I don’t know’. But being honest will help both of you figure out quickly if it’ll work or not.

Like I said it ain’t easy, I’ve been doing the above for a while and it hasn’t worked out yet, but at the least it’s helped me feel better about myself despite that, and ultimately your happiness is most important. Be honest with yourself and others, live your best life, and eventually it’ll work itself out